courage us in this duty. On the contrary, let us daily ftrive to fhew ourselves true fervants of our Heavenly Father, by keeping his commandments; by doing all manner of kindness to our diftreffed neighbours; by relieving their wants to the best of our abilities; their ignorance with our knowledge and learning; and defending them from wrong by our power and authority. Let us be earnest to warn all men from the error of their ways, by pious advice and good example, and perfevering in all welldoing as long as we live. Whoever is careful to exercise these duties need never fear death, for any of the causes that have been specified, nor indeed for any other that can be imagined; but on the contrary, by duly weighing the following confiderations, it will greatly help to lighten the terror of the conflict, and render the paffage eafy.

When therefore the apprehenfions of a difordered nature are ready to afflict and opprefs the foul, and to magnify the terrors of bodily diffolution, it will afford an ufeful exercife to the defponding mind, to review the various pofitive evils of the prefent life; to dwell upon its trying misfortunes, troubles, and vexations; to weigh the dangers of our ferious warfare, and hazardous pilgrimage; the powerful difficulties that the fpirit encounters in acting properly, through the temptations of a weak and perifhing body. Again, when we reflect upon the numberless forrows we have already endured, and to which, we are inceffantly fubject while in the flesh; the ruinous treachery of a vain world on all fides; the selfishness, the worldly love, the violence of the paffions which affault us in profperity; the impatient murmuring of faithlefs difcontent we difcover in diftrefs; all which combine to draw us from God, and a dependence on our Savior Chrift; in truth, from our very best treasure, the hope of everlasting life. When we alfo take into the account, the innumerable attacks of our fubtle and

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and busy enemy, with all his fiery darts of pride, envy, luft, ambition, and vain-glory, and his unwearied art in prefenting thofe vices to us which do moft eafily befet our conftitution; to which we may add, the laft, and moft pernicious of all his fatal fnares, a defpair of recovery and mercy. By which diabolical ftratagems he entices thofe into his fervice who are off their guard, going about as a roaring lion, feeking whom he may be permitted to devour. Who, I fay, when he thoroughly contemplates these several perils to which the Chriftian is expofed, as long as he continueth on earth, befides the mifery of the conflict: and when, on the other hand, he indulges the pleasant thoughts of that abundant, fure, and inconceivable delight which is for ever increafing the bleffed and comfortable ftate of the heavenly life to come, the happy condition of those who depart in the Lord, how they are delivered from the burden of this mortal and finful body, from all the above distressful calamities, to live in peace, and joy, and endless glory, in the fellowship of innumerable angels, and the fociety of perfect and just men, fuch as holy patriarchs, prophets, and martyrs in fhort, even in the prefence of Almighty God, and our Savior Jefus Chrift. Any one who will duly and frequently draw this comparison, and is likewife eftablished in the true faith of God, fo as to believe the one from the bottom of his heart, as fully as he knows the other by experience; and especially if he poffeffes a quiet confcience, a ftedfaft hope, and an humble truft in God's mercy, through the merits of Chrift Jefus, that he may obtain this land of everlafting peace and fafety, he moft certainly will find it a valuable remedy against the fears of bodily death, whenever the hour of departure comes. And as furely as St. Paul did, fo fhall all fuch (in due fubmiffion to the will of God) experience a hearty wish to be delivered from VOL. I. every

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every opportunity of further evil, and to live for ever to God's pleasure, without the poffibility of offending the glorious Author of their redemption.. To whofe gracious prefence, may the Lord of his infinite goodnefs and mercy bring us all, to reign with Him in everlafting glory. To whom, with our Heavenly Father, and the Holy Spirit, be all praise and dominion, world without end. Amen.

DISCOURSE XII.

An Exhortation concerning good Order, and Obedience. to Rulers and Magiftrates.

EP. TO TITUS iii. I.

Put them in mind to be fubject to principalities and powers, to obey magiftrates, to be ready to every good work.

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IT requires but little obfervation to be convinced, that Almighty God hath created and provided for all things in heaven, upon earth, and in the waters under the earth, in a moft excellent and perfect order. In heaven he hath appointed various and diftinct ranks of angels, and archangels: on earth he hath established princes and kings, and inferior officers, and rulers of different difcriptions, all in valuable fubordination, for the general benefit of the community.-In the firmament, or upper regions of the air, we fee the fun, moon, ftars, rainbow, thunder, lightning, clouds, and wind; all acting under certain regular laws, as to their motion, and appearance; and the inhabitants of the lower regions of the air, the feathered race, equally difcover fubjection to a law of their nature, which demonftrates the admirable wifdom of the Creator's power. Even the earth, and the brute creation which dwell upon it, with the trees, plants, feeds, herbs,

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corn,

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corn, and grafs which nourish it; in fhort, the whole vegetable world doth manifeft a degree of order.Again, the different feasons, and all parts of the year, as winter, fummer, months, nights, and days, each follow the other, and return in orderly fucceffion in like manner the waters that are above the earth, are no lefs under providential governance, and defcend upon it in ufeful portions and due feafon: while rivers alfo, with other waters, fprings and fountains, nay even the vaft ocean, preferve an uniform and well appointed courfe, and the numerous kinds of fifh, which inhabit this latter elemént, are wonderfully directed by peculiar regulations. Laftly, man himself doth in an especial manner, discover the most beautiful order in his formation: every part, both inwardly and outwardly, of which he is compofed, as heart, mind, memory, fpeech, and understanding; every particular bodily member doth teftify the moft neceffary and ufeful difpofition. Further, when we confider man, the wonderful and finishing act of God's creation, in the light of a focial being; all ranks of people, in their feveral callings, have a duty appointed them according to order; fome are of high eftate, as kings, princes, and magiftrates; fome have a lower state. allotted them, as fubjects and inferiors; thefe may be again diftinguished by different degrees of fubor dination to each other; under the refpective claffes of clergy and laity, hufbands and wives, parents and children, rich and poor, masters and fervants; every one of whom, have need of each other's help, fo that in all things the wife contrivance of the Creator can never be too much admired or praised: without thefe depending ties no houfe, city, government, or fociety could flourish or continue; without the bleffing of order, nothing but abuses, licentious manners, oppreffive injuftice, fin and confufion can be expected; remove kings, princes, judges, and fuch high officers, as the providence

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